Re: [Frameworks] **VL-JUNK** Re: Analog and digital

From: Karl Mendonca <karlmendonca_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:36:15 -0700 (PDT)

I've only just begun exploring the [relatively] recently minted field of "software studies", but Warren Sack has an interesting take on logic in software that might add a new angle to this discussion. Briefly (at the risk of oversimplifying), Aristotle's rules of logic were transformed by Boole and Claude Shannon into algebraic expressions that have ultimately come to be used in computer circuits and programming. Daniel Hillis' The Pattern on the Stone is a really fun book that illustrates how logical switches and connectors using the on/off principle can be used to make a using tinker toys(!) or possibly a hydraulic computer. This system of logic regardless of the material it is implemented in is what makes up the digital world. The point I'm struggling make is that along with thinking about signal processing and materiality, perhaps the underlying (dare I say) philosophical framework that informs how analog / digital signals are captured, processed, stored and ultimately (re)presented is part of the fundamental difference between the two. Best, Karl ________________________________ From: Pip Chodorov <frameworks_at_re-voir.com> To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks_at_jonasmekasfilms.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 3:15 PM Subject: Re: [Frameworks] **VL-JUNK** Re: Analog and digital In 1980, on the 8-bit Apple ][ computers using hex assembler, pixels were 00 for black and FF for white  (otherwise called 0-256 in base-10 or 00000000-11111111 in base-2 or binary). In today's 32-bit computers, a white pixel would be 11111111111111111111111111111111 in base-2 or FFFF in base-16. This is why Flick spoke of number systems (binary, decimal, roman): because the 0s and 1s represent representations of images rather than representing images directly. At 18:06 -0400 30/08/11, Steven Gladstone wrote: >On 8/30/11 1:28 PM, Flick Harrison wrote: >  > re: POINT 1: ones and zeroes aren't analog representations of "on" and >>  "off." You could more fruitfully say that "on" and "off" are mechanical >>  representations of 1 and 0, since the binary number system stands in the >>  abstract, like the decimal or roman system. > >The way I understand it the 1 and the zero come from video and waveform >monitors, where 0 was black, and 1 was "White" or full exposure. This >was of course for an analog signal. I know the video scale is measured >as I.R.E. and the scale is 0 to 100 (or actually 7.5 to 100 in NTSC >land) but my understanding is that 100 I.R.E. correlated to 1 volt. >Digital is strictly an ON/OFF voltage states. This can be represented by >ots and dashes, ones and zeros, but through the wires, it is all on off >voltage states - the numbers 1 and zero are not being sent through the >wires. > _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks


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Received on Tue Aug 30 2011 - 17:36:25 CDT